Aurorarama

Jean-Christophe Valtat

“… The novel glides on silver skates from the surreal to the absurd to the languorously decadent … Irresistible.”—Laura Miller, Salon

1908. New Venice — “the pearl of the Arctic” — a place of ice palaces and pneumatic tubes, of beautifully ornate carriage-sleds and elegant victorian garb, of long nights and vistas of ice.

But as the city prepares for spring, it feels more like qaartsiluni — “the time when something is about to explode in the dark.” Local “poletics” are wracked by tensions with the Eskimos circling the city, with suffragette riots led by an underground music star, with drug round-ups by the secret police force known as the Gentlemen of the Night. An ominous black airship hovers over the city, and the Gentlemen are hunting for the author of a radical pamphlet calling for revolt.

Their lead suspect is Brentford Orsini, one of the city’s most prominent figures. But as the Gentlemen of the Night tighten the net around him, Orsini receives a mysterious message from a long-lost love that compels him to act.

What transpires is a literary adventure novel unlike anything you’ve ever read before. Brilliant in its conception, masterful in its prose, thrilling in its plot twists, and laced with humor, suspense, and intelligence, it marks the beginning of a great new series of books set in New Venice-and the launch of an astonishing new writer.

+ Visit AURORARAMA.COM for even more details about Jean-Christophe Valtat and the mysteries of New Venice

JEAN CHRISTOPHE VALTAT was born in 1968. Educated in the Ecole Normale Superieure and the Sorbonne, he lives in Paris and teaches Comparative Literature. He has written a book of short stories, Album, and two novels, Exes, and 03 (published in English by FSG), as well as award-winning radio-plays and a movie “Augustine” (2003), which he also co-directed.

“Aurorarama is perhaps what Jules Verne would write if woken from the dead and offered a dose of mushrooms.” —Jacob Silverman, The National

“[Aurorarama] entrances and delights. You could spend years picking apart the sly references and the particular myths, poems, novels and songs that inspired Valtat, or you can simply enjoy it for the experience. Valtat is making his American debut in a big way…with his remarkable enthusiasm and bravery, it’s completely possible he’ll conquer the world.” —Jessa Crispin, NPR

“Aurorarama (presents) one of the most thoroughly-conceived alternative universes I’ve ever encountered.” —Wired

“Combining Arctic adventure with Victorian fantasy, this page-turner is as sparkling and colorful as the northern lights.” —The San Francisco Chronicle

“Marvelous, perfect, and perfectly marvelous!… [Aurorarama] promises to attract discerning and sophisticated readers galore, those fans of the fantastical who are tired of second-hand visions and stale conceits….Valtat’s novel is Little Nemo in Slumberland as retold by a trio of Jeff Noon, Steve Aylett and William Burroughs. I can hardly wait for its sequels.” —Paul Di Filippo, The Barnes and Noble Review

“[Valtat] has a magical sense of shape, and a gift for lyrical prose that are rare in modern writing.” —La Croix

Jean-Christophe Valtat is a writer of “beautiful energy.” —Le Monde

“Mr. Valtat may have written the most noteworthy contribution to steampunk in almost two decades … Aurorarama rejuvenates an entire subgenre, adding creativity and accuracy (historical and, more importantly, tonal) to a field that risks being defined solely by corsets and airships. Beyond its importance in legitimizing steampunk, Aurorarama is a sparkling read — breathing, human characters wandering amok in one of the most captivating cities in fiction.” —Pornokitsch

“A totally satisfying literary experience, and I don’t want you to miss it.” —Kate G., bookseller at The Strand